City and oasis in northwestern Saudi Arabia with 140,000 inhabitants (2003 estimate), on the Persian Gulf.Qatif lies at the northern end of a large metropolitan and industrial area, with about 1.2 million inhabitants, where the other cities are Dammam, Khobar and Dhahran.Qatif's economy is a mixture of agriculture and petroleum related activities. The agriculture was modernized in the 1960's and Qatif is one of the largest food producers in the kingdom, yielding mainly dates, alfalfa, rice, fruits, and vegetables. Fishing is also a traditional activity that still is of great importance. Petroleum activities involve oil-gas separator plants and pipelines. Many oil workers at other centres in the region live in Qatif.Qatif has excellent connections with other urban centres of Saudi Arabia by highway, and is also close to the causeway to Bahrain. Qatif is served by the King Fahd International Airport in Dhahran.Qatif has a a large Shi'i community, which has caused much tension with the central government of the kingdom.Within the oasis there are several traditional villages. The oasis is an attractive tourist destination.

HistoryAround 3500 BCE: First traces of Qatif in history.Late 1st millenium: Greeks know it as Cateus.1940's: Oil discovery in Dhahran and the subsequent development of the surrounding region, moves the focus south, away from Qatif.